Yuri Tyukalov

Who is Yuri Tyukalov?

Yuri Sergeevich Tyukalov was an Olympic Champion Rower who competed for the USSR. He was born in Leningrad.

Tyukalov trained at VSS Trud in Leningrad. He won a Gold Medal in the Single Scull at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki beating defending Olympic Champion Mervyn Wood of Australia, along with other favorites such as Teodor Kocerka of Poland who finished third, and American John B. Kelly, Jr.

Prior to the 1956 Summer Olympics, Tyukalov was beaten by the Russian prodigy Vyacheslav Ivanov who was selected to represent the Soviet Union in the Single Scull. Tyukalov then teamed with Aleksandr Berkutov to race the Double Scull.

At the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Tyukalov and Berkutov won the Gold medal, beating the United States and Australia. At the 1960 games in Rome, Tyukalov and Berkutov won the silver. In 1968 Tyukalov was a coach of the USSR Olympic rowing team.

Tyukalov was awarded Order of the Red Banner of Labour. He was also a notable sculptor.